Top News:
Sean McAdam / Boston Herald:
Jon Lester will start it off — Sources: Red Sox go with lefty in ALDS opener — KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In 2003, he won Game 5 for the Florida Marlins in Yankee Stadium on three days' rest and was named World Series MVP. — Four years later, he won all four of his postseason starts for the Red Sox [team stats].
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Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Yanks want to clinch against Sox — The Yankees and Red Sox are both headed for October, but the two rivals would love to make a statement to assert themselves as the favorites in the American League. — With only 10 days to go until the end of the regular season, the two AL East contenders …
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
After a Disappointing First Season, Girardi Adjusts — Joe Girardi's hair is the color of steel, buzzed close to his scalp, suited for the military. The reason is that anything else would look frizzy. But the haircut, it seems, has always informed the narrative.
Mike Puma / New York Post:
AL East title within weekend reach — Uncork the champagne and use red socks to mop up spills on the clubhouse carpet. That would be quite a Yankee Stadium party. — Lights, camera, AL East title. The Yankees can make it official this weekend, appropriately enough with the Red Sox across the field to witness the celebration.
Chicago Sun Times:
Three takes on the White Sox — Octavio Dotel said he approached the club about his immediate future and a contract extension last month and was told he wasn't in the plans. The reliever at least appreciated the Sox being upfront with him. As he turns his attention to free agency, New York is atop his wish list.
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Associated Press:
Dodgers one win away from playoffs; Nats hit 100 losses — WASHINGTON (AP) — Rafael Furcal (FSY) hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning Thursday night, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Washington 7-6 to hand the Nationals their 100th loss of the season.
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Joe Posnanski:
What Our Eyes See — This is not — repeat NOT — that angry 20,000 word diatribe about Hall of Famer Jim Rice that I originally proposed after reading his Sullivan Tire blog post about Zack Greinke, the appropriately titled “Greinke is a Good Pitcher — Not Dominant.”
RELATED:
Jim Rice / Ask 14:Greinke is a Good Pitcher - Not Dominant
Discussion:
The Sporting Blog, Circling The Bases, Amazin' Avenue, Can't Stop The Bleeding and Yawkey Way Academy
Canadian Press:
RICCIARDI SAYS HIS SUCCESSORS WILL FACE SAME CHALLENGES — TORONTO - The calls for J.P. Ricciardi's dismissal as general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays have been coming fast and furious of late. In some corners there's a belief that his firing is already a done deal.
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Matt Eddy / Baseball America:
Appalachian League Top 20 Prospects With Scouting Reports — Electric stuff earns Braves' Julio Teheran the No. 1 spot — BURLINGTON, N.C.—Order was restored in the Rookie-level Appalachian League when Danville dispatched Elizabethton in two games to win the title.
Discussion:
Talking Chop
Mike Puma / New York Post:
Hairston has tendinitis in wrist — Considering the list of possible alternatives, tendinitis to Jerry Hairston Jr.'s left wrist doesn't sound like such a bad thing to general manager Brian Cashman. — The Yankees received that diagnosis yesterday, a day after Hairston left a game against the Angels in obvious pain.
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues
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Dan Connolly / Baltimore Sun:
Mora preparing to leave Orioles ‘with my head up’ — Third baseman's career with team likely to end with season; he says he still loves the city — When he joined the Orioles in July 2000, Melvin Mora was one of 14 unfamiliar commodities received in the club's now infamous trade-deadline fire sale …
David Brown / Yahoo! Sports:
Answer Man: Denard Span talks beaning, OBP, Target and Spam — About 48 hours after getting hit in the head with a pitch against the White Sox on Monday, Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span — was still feeling the effects. So what better way to test his mental faculties and ease …
John Shea / San Francisco Chronicle:
Giants Beat: Lincecum open to long-term deal — (09-24) 22:52 PDT — Tim Lincecum answered the question exactly how Giants fans wanted him to. For the first time, the ace will be eligible for arbitration, meaning his salary will skyrocket, and he was asked if he'd be open to a long-term deal.
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Russell, staff not in trouble — A month ago, the Pirates' front office, all the way up to owner Bob Nutting, strongly endorsed the return of manager John Russell and the full coaching staff. And despite the historic losing stretch of late, that stance has stuck.
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Brian Heyman / New York Times:
For Brogna, Road Back to Majors Runs Through Football — MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — As one of Wesleyan University's receivers ran a one-on-none post pattern under the fading sun at practice on Wednesday, Rico Brogna spotted choppy footwork on his fake and his break toward the middle of the field.
Discussion:
Projo Sox Blog
David Lennon / Newsday:
No fun for Mets as they play out the string — MIAMI - Despite a break — in the schedule, the Mets boarded a late-night flight to Florida after Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Braves at Citi Field rather than take a leisurely trip the next morning for the weekend series against the Marlins.
